Monitoring the Impact of Federal Directives on Aging Services and Affordable Senior Housing
(Feb. 3, 2025) Though the Jan. 27th memo to temporarily pause “agency grant, loan and other financial assistance programs” is repealed, the Trump administration remains committed to its pursuit of a federal funding freeze pending a review of compliance with 24 executive orders (EOs) issued by the President in his initial days in office. LeadingAge is closely following whether, when, and how continuing efforts by the White House to assess programs against goals expressed in its EOs may impact the flow of funding that aging services providers rely on. Keep up with all related developments with updates from LeadingAge here.
After several days of confusion regarding the Jan. 27th memo, affordable senior housing providers across the country are still feeling the impact. The Trump administration rescinded its memo on Jan. 29th following intense pushback from across the country. However, the White House has said that while the memo has been rescinded, the effort to halt federal funding that does not align with presidential priorities will continue, and LeadingAge members report continued delays in accessing grant awards and funding. View the details and how to take action here.
Meanwhile, late on Jan. 24th, the Trump administration terminated many of the country’s top oversight officials, including the Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Christi Grimm, and the Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Rae Oliver Davis. Both had been appointed by the President during his first term. Inspectors General often span multiple administrations and are mandated by federal law to investigate fraud, give policy advice, handle certain complaints by employees, and report to the heads of agencies and Congress every six months. The legality of the terminations remains in question, since federal law requires a 30-day notice and detailed explanation to Congress ahead of firing a Senate-confirmed Inspector General; bipartisan congressional leaders state that they did not receive the required notice. In response, the Republican and Democratic leaders of the Senate Judiciary Committee sent a letter to the President requesting an explanation for the terminations, as well as information about replacements for the ousted officials.
The removal of numerous top oversight officials comes amidst other notable actions related to the federal workforce early in the presidential term: since Jan. 20th, the administration has announced a hiring freeze for new federal employees, a return to in-person work five days per week for the federal workforce, and a deferred resignation incentive for the civil service.
LeadingAge relies on the federal workforce to administer key programs at HHS, HUD, and other federal agencies that impact aging in America, such as affordable senior housing for older adults and Medicare enrollment operations, and is monitoring issues related to the federal workforce. An article covering the issue from LeadingAge is available here.
Contact: Annalyse Komoroske Denio, akomoroskedenio@leadingageny.org, 518-867-8866